Column: Learning the finer points of golf at the state meet

Published 5:13 pm Monday, June 8, 2009

They took two entirely different approaches, but both state qualifying golfers from Austin had excellent showings at the Class ‘AAA’ meet last week.

While Drew Osier was putting on a great impression of Happy Gilmore, Catherine Wagner was silent and focused.

Osier, who tied for fifth at state, wore his emotions on his sleeve so much that I could start to tell if he had hit a good drive by just watching him and not even glancing at the ball. If he held his form and watched the ball all the way through, it was a solid shot. If he immediately looked a way and yelled in frustration, it was probably headed for the bunker.

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Meanwhile, Wagner, who tied for eighth overall, started the meet off with a seven-stroke hole that saw her hit it in the bunker twice. She never flinched and you’d of thought she was playing a practice round, not playing her last ever round of golf at the state meet.

Besides watching the contrasts in styles of Austin’s very own, it was also interesting to see some of the other golfers’ approaches.

There were always one or two golfers who always felt the need to yell ‘sit!’ after they fired off a drive or a putt.

My first thought was they were yelling an obscenity and when I realized it wasn’t, I still wondered what the point of yelling a little white ball is.

Maybe it’s therapy for the golfer who needs to let out his or frustration, maybe it’s a natural reaction, and maybe they actually think the ball can hear them.

Either way it was entertaining.

Being a golf novice, I also gained a lot of respect for those who take to the greens. It requires a lot of concentration and mental focus to stay with it for four straight hours.

I’ve heard many golfers say the biggest thing is to get over the ‘bad holes’ but I’m sure that’s easier said then done.

All I know is if I ever tried it, my club would be in the lake, my bag would end up in the woods, and ball would probably be rolling down the highway.

It’s a sport I can respect, but not one I’d ever have the patience to play.